Chriscarte82 Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 So I've been eagerly sourcing supplies to start a home forge and have been itching to make a start. My forge has been sat waiting for a week for me to fire it up and get started. I thought I'd try make a blade from an old file from my hoard of flee market scrap. I'm sure to the weathered eye it's not that pretty but personally I couldn't be happier. Just need to cut down the tang l,drill the pin holes, heat treat, attach some scales (easier said than done for a total novice) polish and sharpen and I'm hopefully done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 Do you know how to draw file? It would clean up that blade quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriscarte82 Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 I will have to look that up, I'm assuming you mean drawing a file over the blade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 It's a special method where you hold the file at both ends and draw the file across the piece along the long access of the piece so sort of a push and pull stroke. Keep the file cleaned out with a file card and it works very well to smooth the surface out. As you are using the file 90 deg from how you would usually use it you can switch over a bit when it starts to fill up and so go longer between clean ups. Check out a video or two on it. It's a major knifemaking technique for folks working by hand. (And can clean up a blade rough ground by a stone grinder or angle grinder!) It does help to have the blade supported along it's entire length so you get equal pressure when filing. (I often use a 1"x4" clamped in my vise edge up and then hold the knife blade along the edge with a couple of C clamps. No vise? I've C clamped a board to a table or work bench and then c clamped the blade to the edge of the board.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriscarte82 Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 Brilliant, very succinctly put, I'll take this on-board and reference YouTube for a few demos before getting to work. Thanks so much Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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